Protable indoor clothes-drying rack



Feb. 13, 1934. Q HOUSTON 1,946,856

PORTABLE INDOOR CLOTHES DRYING RACK Filed April 5, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Q: /k M III/1.71111 Elwin/M4 0;

C. L- Hon/(550w I QMW Feb. 13, 1934. c STQ 1,946,856

PORTABLE INDOOR CLOTHES DRYING RACK Patented Feb. 13, 1934 PGR'IABLEiNDOOR CLOTHES-DRYING RACK Cecil L. Houston, Dallas, Tex.

Application April 5, 1933. Serial No. 664,641

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved portable indoor clothes-dryingrack and seeks, among other objects, to provide a simple and eilicientdevice of this character adapted for the drying of a number of articlesin a relatively small space.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device wherein thearticles may be readily attached to the device and as easily removedtherefrom and wherein means will be provided for securely attaching thearticles to the device.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a devicewhich may be positioned near a stove or the like for drying clothesthereover and wherein the device may be adjusted to coact with theceiling of a room, for instance, for securing the device in uprightposition while the clothes will be supported in a manner to permit fastdrying thereof.

29 With the foregoing and other objects in view,

the invention consists in certain novel details of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it beingunderstood that various modifications may be resorted to within thescope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved rack, partsbeing broken away 39 and shown in section,

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional View on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is aplan view of the hanger frame of the rack,

Fig. 5 is an edge elevation looking at one side of the hanger frame andshowing the spring actuated clothes-supporting clamps carried thereby,

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation looking at another side of the hanger frame,showing the clothessupporting hooks carried thereby,

Fig. 7 is a detail elevation showing the connection between the arm ofthe rack head and the hanger frame, and

Fig. 8 is a detail elevation showing a slightly modifi d form of head.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I employ an annularbase 10 comprising an upstanding socket l1, and secured to the bottomflange of the base, at one side thereof, is a pair of short diverginglegs 12 while to the opposite side of the base is secured a pair ofsomewhat longer diverging legs 13. As particularly seen in Fig. 1, theselegs are pivotally connected to the base by wing screws 14 so that thelegs may be positioned relative to each other to best accommodate theload of the rack. Furthermore, by thus pivctally connecting the legs tothe base, the legs may be positioned. to avoid adjacent objects on afloor, thus making for greater convenience than if the legs were fixed.

Rising from the base is a vertical standard comprising a lower tubularsection 15 into which telescopically fits an upper section 16. At itslower end, the section 15 fits snugly in the socket ll of the base andis detachably secured therein by a Wing screw 17. As will be perceived,the section 16 may be shifted Within the section 15 for varying theheight of the standard and a pair of wing screws 18 secure the section16 in set position, two of these screws being pref rably employed, sothat the standard may support its load without collapsing.

Fitting over the upper end of the section 16 of the rack standard is acylindrical head 19 secured against rotation on said section by a wingscrew 20, and extending laterally from said head is an arm 21 offsetnear its outer end and provided with a flattened terminal 22. At itsupper end, the head 19 is, as shown in Fig. 2, provided with a socketand frictionally secured in said socket is a plug 23. Fixed to said plugis a pad 24 of rubber or the like overhanging the upper end of the head.

Detachably connected to the arm 21 is a rectangular hanger frame, bestseen in Fig. 4 of the drawings. As shown, this frame includes a pair ofside bars 25 as well as a parallel intermediate at bar 25' and extendingbetween the ends of the bars 25 is a pair of end bars 26. Connectingsaid bars with each other are bolts 27. Extending between the end bars,parallel to the side bars, is a medially disposed cross bar 28 connectedat its ends to the end bars by pairs of bolts 29. Midway between itsends the cross bar is, as seen in Fig. '7, provided with an upstandingthickened portion or boss 30 adapted to seat the flat terminal 22 of thearm 21 thereagainst, and extending through the bar and boss, as well asthrough said terminal, is a wing bolt 31 rotatably connecting the framewith the arm, said bolt being preferably equipped with a wing nut 32 sothat the parts may be easily disconnected.

Extending vertically through each of the bars 25 and 25 of the rackframe, as seen in Fig. 6, is a plurality of depending hooks 33 uniformlyspaced with respect to each other as well as with respect to the endbars 26, said hooks being conill nected to the side bars in any approvedmanner. All of the hooks of the several bars face in a common directionaway from the standard and, as will be observed, these hooks areprovided with moderately long straight shanks and pointed ends. Slidableupon the shanks of each group of hooks is a retaining bar 34 aperturedto freely receive said shanks therethrough, the retaining bar normallyresting on the extremities of the upturned ends or the bills of saidhooks.

Mounted upon the outer edges of the end bars 26 of the hanger frame, asparticularly seen in Fig. 5, are groups of vertically disposed clamps35, the jaws of which are presented downwardly. These clamps may be ofany well-known type but each preferably comprises a pair of clampingmembers mounted to rock about a coil spring the ends of which normallyhold the jaws of the clamp together, and extending through said springsinto the edges of the end bars 26 are screws or other appropriatefastening devices 36 connecting the clamps with said bars.

As will now be seen, by raising the retaining bars 34, clothes may bereadily engaged with the hooks 33 and, upon the release of said bars,the bars will gravitate downwardly into engagement with the ends of thehooks for retaining the clothes on the hooks. In any instance where thehooks are unsuitable for suspending particular garments, said garmentsmay be engaged with the clamps 35, it simply being necessary to graspthe upper ends of the coacting members of the clamps and press said endstogether for spreading the clamp jaws when the garments may be insertedbetween the jaws to be engaged thereby upon release of the members. Iaccordingly provide an arrangement wherein clothes of difierent kindsmay be conveniently attached to the rack to depend therefrom and due tothe number of hooks provided, as well as the number of clamps, arelatively large numberof clothes may be hung on the rack. It is to benoted that the bars 25 in conjunction with the bar 25' provide threedifferent spreads for various sized clothes. In other words, clothes maybe attached at one side to one of the hooks on one of the bars 25 and atthe opposite side to one of the hooks on the other of the bars 25.Similarly, clothes may be attached to the hooks of the bar 25 seen atthe left of Fig. 4 and to the hooks of the bar 25. Likewise, clothes maybe attached to the hooks of the bar 25 and to the hooks of the bar 25seen at the right of Fig. 4. This arrangement will be found highlyconvenient in the practical use of the rack and since all of the hooksface forwardly, the clothes may be readily positioned on or removed fromthe hooks.

As will be observed, the longer pair of legs 13 is arranged to extendbeneath the rack frame so as to counteract any tendency of the rack totilt under the weight of clothes thereon. Tilting of the rack, however,may be positively avoided by adjusting the section 16 of the rackstandard upwardly until the pad 24 engages the ceiling or a fixedoverhead object when, by tightening the set screws 18, the rack will berigidly secured in vertical position. Accordingly, the rack may besafely positioned adjacent a stove or the like for drying the clothesthereover without likelihood of the rack tilting to cause contact of theclothes with the stove.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings, I have illustrated a slight variation of theinvention wherein the head 37 of the standard, instead of being providedwith a single lateral arm, is provided with a pair of diametric lateralarms 38 corresponding to the arm 21. Otherwise, this modificationconforms to the embodiment of the invention first described and furtherexplanation is accordingly believed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A clothes-drying rack including a base, a standard rising therefromand provided with a head having a lateral arm, a frame having side andend bars connected at their ends, a cross bar extending between certainof the former bars, means rotatably connecting the cross bar with saidarm, and suspending devices carried by the frame for connecting clothesthereto.

2'. A clothes-drying rack including a base, a linearly adjustablestandard arising therefrom, a head carried by the standard, a frictionpad carried by the head, the standard being adjustable to engage saidpad with an object overhead and secure the rack against tiltingmovement, the head being provided with a lateral arm, and frame carriedby said arm and provided with suspending means for attaching clothesthereto.

3. A clothes-drying rack including a base, a standard rising therefrom,a frame carried by the standard and including side and end barsconnected at their ends and an intermediate bar extending parallel tothe side bars, a group of clothes-supporting hooks depending from theside bars and from said intermediate bar, a retaining bar sliclable uponeach group of hooks and normally resting on the free ends thereof, and agroup of clothes-supporting clamps mounted upon the end bars.

4. A clothes rack including a base, a standard rising therefrom, a framecarried by the standard, a group of article supporting hooks carried bythe frame and provided with shanks, and a retaining bar slidably mountedon the shanks of the hooks and normally retained by gravity inengagement with the bills of the hooks for holding articles on saidhooks.

CECIL L. HOUSTON. [L.S.]

